FALCONRY, THE SPORT OF KINGS 



439 



turns stooping in rapid succession until 

 the quarry is killed. 



In the good old days many kinds of 

 hawks were used, but those most es- 

 teemed, because of their size, style, and 

 beauty, were the gerfalcons of the north. 

 Centuries ago the Icelanders caught and 

 trained both old and young birds, and 

 the annual catch sometimes amounted to 

 hundreds. 



In general, however, the gerfalcon 

 does not seem to thrive in England or on 

 the Continent. It wilts in the summer 

 and becomes listless, refusing to fly, and 

 finally fading and falling prey to some 

 one of the many ills that beset hawks. 

 This seems to point to a great skill and 

 knowledge on the part of the medieval 

 falconers, who certainly used the gers 

 very extensively and successfully in kill- 

 ing the kite, a most capable hawk, then 

 common all over Britain and Europe. 



WHEN THE DESERT FALCON HUNTS THE 



GAZELLE 



The sacre, a "desert falcon," nearly as 

 large and heavy as the gerfalcon, is still 

 used in India for hunting the kite, and 

 probably this is the most thrilling quarry 

 that has ever been used in falconry. The 

 kite is a magnificent flier and spends 

 much time at an altitude of thousands of 

 feet, so that the actual battle often takes 

 place so high as to be almost out of sight. 



Another spectacular use to which the 

 sacre is put is in the hunting of gazelles 

 and of bustards. The falconer and his 

 field are mounted on swift horses, and in 

 the gazelle hunt three, five, or more 

 hawks are cast when the quarry is 

 started. It is an exciting chase, full of 

 danger for every one concerned — the 

 riders, because of the chase over rough 

 country ; the quarry, because of the num- 

 ber and intrepidity of his assailants ; 

 and the hawks, because in their dashing 

 stoops they are frequently impaled upon 

 the horns of their quarry. 



The Houbara bustard, a large plover- 

 like bird the size of a turkey, affords a 

 spectacular chase. He does not fly, but, 

 with wings and neck outstretched, runs 

 like a cloud-shadow fleeting over the 

 plain. The hawks, three or more in a 

 cast, pursue and worry their quarry for 

 miles over the desert, only striking the 



fatal blow when the bustard has become 

 nearly exhausted, as by that time have 

 also such horses as have been able to 

 keep up with the terrific chase. 



THE PEREGRINE IS THE FALCOX OF 

 FALCONS 



The peregrine, falcon of falcons, is not 

 as large or as strong as either the gers or 

 the sacre, but combines, with a hardihood 

 unknown to the "exotics," all the qualities 

 that go to make a good hawk — gentle- 

 ness, teachability, courage, dash, willing- 

 ness to "wait on" at a great height, and, 

 most important of all, availability ; for, as 

 has been said, the peregrine has a world- 

 wide range, and is therefore obtainable 

 in almost any country where men want 

 to use it. In this article, then, unless 

 specially noted, the peregrine is the sub- 

 ject of the narrative. 



In a wild state, were it a common bird 

 anywhere, it would be a very undesirable 

 neighbor, for it preys almost exclusively 

 on birds, and is capable of taking such 

 swift and resourceful game as plover, 

 snipe, and wild-fowl. Its common name 

 in America, the duck-hawk, is well given, 

 the reference being to wild ducks and 

 not the tame bird. 



Like many another brigand, the pere- 

 grine prefers easy prey to difficult, is in 

 nowise averse to poultry, and is particu- 

 larly fond of domestic pigeons. A pair 

 whose eyrie I watched on a 400-foot cliff 

 near my home one July day had three 

 young on the wing. During the middle 

 of the day there was little activity and 

 all the birds sat quietly pluming and rest- 

 ing; but for the first three hours in the 

 morning and the last three in the after- 

 noon, one old bird or the other returned 

 about every twenty minutes with a pig- 

 eon. On that one day sixteen pigeons 

 were brought to the young. 



Of course, this was more than they 

 could eat entirely, and much more per 

 capita than grown birds would consume, 

 but where an adult hawk will keep in very 

 fine condition on half a pound of fresh 

 game a day, a growing fledgling requires 

 above its own weight daily of animal 

 food in order to maintain its miraculous 

 growth and the great physical effort of 

 producing an entire coat of feathers. 



There are many recorded instances of 



